Animal holder

Abstract

A holder for supporting animals such as pigs, sheep and the like, during castration or other treatment performed on the animals. An elongated tray has a U-shaped member including legs depending from the tray, the legs having adjustable hooks for engagement with the top of a fence or other partition to support the tray. A pair of straps are adapted to partially encircle the portion of an animal between its front and rear legs, and are provided at one end with a hook for releasable engagement with one side of the tray. The opposite ends of the straps are secured to an adjustment member whereby an animal is snugly secured in the tray. A neck-engaging strap is secured to the tray adjacent one end of the tray.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An animal holder comprising: (a) an elongated open ended tray having a bottom portion and opposite side portions;   (b) a pair of laterally spaced legs extending downwardly from said tray;   (c) a pair of downwardly opening supporting hook elements;   (d) means mounting each of said hook elements on a different one of said legs;   (e) elongated animal confining strap means;   (f) anchoring means at one end of said strap means including a hook;   (g) a hook engaging flange projecting downwardly from said tray adjacent one side thereof and intermediate the ends of said tray;   (h) a slide bar extending downwardly from said tray adjacent the other side thereof and intermediate said legs;   (i) a slide member slidably mounted on said slide bar and including means for connection to the other end of said confining strap means;   (j) and a locking element on said slide member and engaging said slide bar to releasably lock said slide member against movement in one direction longitudinally of said slide bar.   
     
     
       2. The animal holder defined in claim 1 in which said tray bottom portion is bent substantially on a longitudinal center line to provide a pair of upwardly diverging bottom sections. 
     
     
       3. The animal holder defined in claim 2 in which said side portions include a pair of wall members each projecting upwardly from an outer edge of a different bottom section adjacent one end of said tray, and a third wall member projecting upwardly from the outer edge of one of said bottom sections adjacent the other end of said tray coplanar with and in longitudinally spaced relation to one of the wall members of said pair thereof. 
     
     
       4. The animal holder defined in claim 3 in which said hook engaging flange is disposed below the space between said coplanar wall members. 
     
     
       5. The animal holder defined in claim 3, further including an animal neck-engaging strap extending between said pair of wall members, said pair of wall members having pairs of spaced openings therethrough, and mounting screws at opposite ends of said neck-engaging strap and receivable in selected respective openings in said pair of wall members. 
     
     
       6. The animal holder defined in claim 1 in which said strap means comprises a pair of laterally spaced straps, said anchoring means including a spacer bar having one end of each of said straps connected to an opposite end of the spacer bar, said hook being disposed at the central portion of said spacer bar. 
     
     
       7. The animal holder defined in claim 6 in which said flange is formed to provide a pair of inturned end portions each engageable with said hook to limit movement of said hook in directions longitudinally of said tray. 
     
     
       8. The animal holder defined in claim 6 in which said means connected to the other end of said strap means includes a pair of anchoring flanges projecting outwardly in opposite directions from said slide member and each connected to a respective other end of a different one of said straps. 
     
     
       9. The animal holder defined in claim 1 in which said legs comprise opposite sides of a generally U-shaped member having a base portion connecting the lower ends of said legs, said slide bar having a lower end anchored to said base. 
     
     
       10. The animal holder defined in claim 1 in which said hook element mounting means comprises a pair of clamps one for each of said hook elements and each straddling a different one of said legs, said hook elements each having a plurality of openings for selective reception of portions of said clamps, said openings being spaced apart in directions transversely of said legs, whereby said hook elements are adjustable both longitudinally and transversely of said legs. 
     
     
       11. The animal holder defined in claim 1 further including an animal neck-receiving strap having opposite ends each connected to an opposite side portion of said cradle adjacent one end of said tray. 
     
     
       12. The animal holder defined in claim 1 in which said locking element comprises a locking bar mounted for pivotal movements on said slide member and having an opening therethrough loosely receiving said slide bar, and in further combination with a spring yieldingly urging said locking bar in a direction of pivotal movement thereof to impart binding engagement of said locking bar with said slide bar.